


Drive

by TheLostMaximoff



Category: The Flash (TV 2014)
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Humor, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-09
Updated: 2017-01-09
Packaged: 2018-09-16 01:43:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,427
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9268205
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheLostMaximoff/pseuds/TheLostMaximoff
Summary: He’s got everything he needs sitting right next to him.





	

Wally West sets down the last of the orange cones and steps back, judging the distance between each of them. He puts them further apart and then nods, satisfied with the arrangement. He walks back to his car and, more importantly, the girl standing next to it wearing a STAR Labs hoodie. He gives Jesse Wells a thumbs up. It’s hard for him to imagine that she never learned how to drive. He was completely shocked when she mentioned it and decided that it had to be rectified. Jesse is a certified genius and now she can move fast enough to break the sound barrier. He can’t understand why she never bothered to learn how to drive.

“Okay, so we’re good to go,” he tells her as he digs his keys out of his pocket. "Now, before I hand these to you there’s something you have to understand. This car is my life, okay? I am handing you my baby. Please be gentle.“

"Wouldn’t that make it our baby now?” asks Jesse with a grin as she takes the keys from Wally. "You know, when I imagined you and me together in your car, it was a little different than this.“

"Okay, we can talk about how real your thirst is later, Jesse Quick,” assures Wally as he slides into the passenger seat and she into the driver’s seat. He begins pointing to the various parts of the car that she will need to know. “So this is the brake, that’s the accelerator, turn signals, all that good stuff.”

“And this button here?” asks Jesse, her finger almost touching a red button on the console.

“Um that’s the one for the nitro. You should never push that button.”

“Well now it sounds fun and I wanna push it.”

Wally resists the urge to scream and gives Jesse a look that says he’s being extremely serious. "Jess, here’s the thing about the nitro … it’s kinda illegal to have?“

"Wait, am I dating a criminal?” inquires Jesse. “Doesn’t that go against the rules of being a superhero or something?”

“I am not a criminal,” reminds Wally. "That stuff is in the past. You, Barry, my family, that’s my future now.“

Jesse smiles and pats him on the shoulder. "I know, Wally. I was only kidding. I like that you put me first on that list though. It was very romantic.”

Wally blushes and is thankful that the parking lot doesn’t have the greatest lighting so she probably can’t see it. Jesse starts the car and feels it hum to life. She eases down on the accelerator and then the brake, testing them before she does anything. Wally watches her work in the methodical way that only a scientist can. Once she’s satisfied, Jesse shifts the car into reverse and backs out of the parking spot. The car’s movements are clunky as she gauges how much to push down on the brake and then the accelerator. Wally feels his stomach churn with fear as she manages to get the car into drive and then moves forward.

“See if you can do a circle around the row of cones first,” advises Wally.

Jesse nods and cranks the wheel to the right. The car moves slowly around the line of cones in a wide arc. Wally braces himself for an impact with a lamppost but Jesse manages to turn the wheel the other way and the car barely misses scraping its side against the pole. Wally feels his heart trying to return to normal as she takes the car in a painfully slow journey in a circle before coming to a stop in roughly the same place that she started.

“This doesn’t really seem that hard,” admits Jesse. "Do people on this Earth have trouble driving?“

"Oh you have no idea,” says Wally. "I can’t believe you never learned how to do this before. I figured your dad would have shown you how.“ He feels a pang of sadness at the unwanted thought his sentence brings up. He wishes that his father had done this with him but the thought passes. Joe and Iris are parts of his life now and that matters most.

"Oh right, like Dad was going to let his precious only child behind the wheel of a ‘deathtrap’,” says Jesse. "That’s his description, not mine. So what’s with the cones?“

"Practice for turning,” explains Wally. "You’re going to weave through them. Take it slow and don’t worry if you run over one.“

Jesse nods and lightly steps on the accelerator. She swings the car into an arc that’s a little too wide but she corrects it well enough. Wally watches her make it through the first bit of empty space without any major difficulty. It’s been a long time since he actually was a passenger in a car instead of the driver. He looks at Jesse, watching her concentrate on what she’s doing. He’s never met someone as driven as she is. She’s still a teenager and already she’s in college and becoming a superhero. He’s met girls way older than her with less ambitions.

"So why is this important to you?” asks Jesse, trying to keep her attention focused on what she’s doing.

“Being able to drive is freedom,” explains Wally. "You can’t tell me you’ve never wanted to just get away from your dad and be by yourself for a little while.“

"Wally, I have super speed. I can just run to wherever I want to go.”

“Yeah but I mean if you didn’t have your speed. Being able to drive gives you the freedom to just take off whenever you want. You can go anywhere in the world, you know? It’s like your independence.”

“What if I’m already where I want to be?” asks Jesse, looking at Wally and smiling as she executes a perfect turn.

“Okay,” says Wally as he notices what she just did. "You either catch on even faster than I thought or …“

Jesse circles around back to her starting position and then stops the car. "I kinda have a confession to make. When I said I didn’t know how to drive, I meant I didn’t know how to drive on this Earth. Your cars are a little different than the ones back home. You were just being really sweet when you offered to teach me so … I just kinda went with it.”

“You’re terrible,” states Wally with a grin. "Wait, what’s the difference between cars on my Earth and yours?“

"Yours don’t fly.”

“You have flying cars on your Earth?”

Jesse starts giggling at the look on Wally’s face. "I’m sorry. I’m not trying to be mean … but you’re making it too easy.“

"You are now the worst, Jesse Quick.”

“Hey,” says Jesse, stopping her laughter and getting serious. “Really, I meant it when I said it was sweet that you wanted to teach me how to drive. When you talk about cars, you get the same look on your face that I get when I talk about science. You love it more than life itself. I like seeing you like that so . . .”

“You went with it,” finishes Wally. "Fine, you’re no longer the worst. I’m guessing you taught yourself how to drive then.“

"As soon as I could see over the dashboard. You know I learn pretty quick. Dad was obviously pissed off when he found out but he mellowed out eventually. Like you said, driving is freedom and that’s what I wanted.”

“Your dad loves you,” says Wally, his hand finding its way to hers. “He just wants you to be safe.”

“I know.” Jesse lifts their hands up and kisses his. "I hate that I have to go back home tomorrow. Hey, when you get your speed you should definitely come visit. Maybe I can teach you how to drive on Earth-2.“

"You better have flying cars by the time I come over.”

“I’ll have Dad get on that as soon as I get back home,” promises Jesse before kissing him on the cheek. "I kinda love you, Wally West.“

"I kinda love you too, Jesse Wells,” says Wally. "You know earlier when you said you imagined something different with us in my car?“

"Is it time to have that talk?”

“I kinda don’t think there’s going to be that much talking.” Wally kisses her and she kisses him back. He gets what she said before. He could go anywhere in the world but he doesn’t need to. He’s got everything he needs sitting right next to him.


End file.
